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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — a path
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. last — to go on
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stand — to bear
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — final
  13. track — a song
  14. last — finally
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — of ice
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cap — a lid
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stand — for spectators

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