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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pass — a permit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. calf — a young animal

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