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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kick — in football
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mate — to breed
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mate — a partner
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — final
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. last — finally
  17. bass — low music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — of a plant

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