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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. spring — of water
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pop — to visit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — the season
  16. lean — thin
  17. pop — soda
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cold — not warm

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