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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rush — hurry
  5. club — a group
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rash — a series
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rash — hasty
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. club — for golf
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chest — a box

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