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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lean — thin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lean — to bend
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com