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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. firm — steady
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. scale — size or range
  9. firm — a company
  10. spring — a coil
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pop — to visit
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pop — soda
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. scale — in music
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. firm — decided
  24. spring — the season

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