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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. last — finally
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. last — to go on
  9. bore — to tire
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — final
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bore — to drill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. squash — to crush

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