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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. scale — in music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. current — electric
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — help
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. lean — thin
  12. foot — a measure
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hand — in cards
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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