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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. shower — to wash
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — rain
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. game — a match
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lie — to recline
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. object — an aim
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. racket — a loud noise

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