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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rock — a stone
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rock — music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rash — a series
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wake — a trail
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fan — a supporter

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