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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. field — for sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. craft — boats
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fine — all right
  21. roll — a cake
  22. field — a subject
  23. ground — crushed
  24. roll — a list

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