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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. land — a country
  4. key — in music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. key — for a lock
  12. toast — bread
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. land — ground
  15. mark — a trace
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mark — a grade
  18. land — to come down
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — of water
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. coach — a trainer

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