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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chest — a box
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bank — for money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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