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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spell — letters
  4. fine — all right
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. shower — rain
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rest — a break
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spell — a short time
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — part of the body

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