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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 dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bear — the animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. track — a song
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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