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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. field — a subject
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kick — in football
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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