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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — a series
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. march — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — there
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. present — the time now
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. march — the month

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