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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fine — all right
  6. squash — to crush
  7. staff — employees
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — a stick
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. last — finally
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — final
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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