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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. kick — in football
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. craft — boats
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. craft — a skill
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — a trail

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