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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — in football
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. file — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. root — the cause
  11. file — a line of people
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rush — hurry
  20. file — a document
  21. root — of a word
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — to hurry

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