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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. toast — bread
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rest — what's left
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to sink
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. suit — clothes
  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