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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wound — an injury
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. last — finally
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tear — from crying
  22. toast — bread
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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