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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — in football
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of a king
  13. swing — music
  14. court — of law
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rest — a break
  18. bound — certain
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. swing — to play on
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bound — obliged

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