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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. object — a thing
  3. rest — a break
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — help
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fine — high quality
  14. object — an aim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stand — to bear
  19. object — to protest
  20. swing — music
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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