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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — of the year
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — help
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hand — in cards
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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