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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lean — thin
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rock — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lean — to bend

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