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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. suit — to fit
  3. kick — in football
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — army training
  14. track — a song
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spring — the season
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. can — to be able to
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bat — in an idiom

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