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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — in sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rash — a series
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — the season
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rush — hurry
  22. kick — in football
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — hasty

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