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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. root — the cause
  8. pop — soda
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spell — a short time
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spell — letters
  14. rest — what's left
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rest — a break
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pop — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. deal — to handle
  23. root — of a word
  24. mine — belonging to me

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