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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — rain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. present — the time now
  10. sharp — clever
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. spring — the season
  18. present — a gift
  19. firm — a company
  20. spring — of water
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. sharp — with an edge

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