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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. suit — to fit
  5. shower — rain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — a thing
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. object — to protest
  17. spring — of water
  18. suit — clothes
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fall — the season
  22. object — an aim
  23. suit — in cards
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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