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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. object — to protest
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — the sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. object — an aim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. squash — to crush
  13. object — a thing
  14. tube — a container
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — dry grass

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