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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. last — to go on
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rule — a law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — government
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — a hat
  20. kid — to tease
  21. shower — rain
  22. last — final
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — of ice

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