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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kick — in football
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. band — a music group
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. net — after costs
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. net — for catching
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. band — a ring

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