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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mug — to rob
  11. track — a song
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cold — not warm
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — a face
  17. shower — rain
  18. craft — a skill
  19. shower — to wash
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. suit — to fit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. suit — clothes

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