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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. craft — a skill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. craft — boats
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — in music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stand — to bear
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. sharp — with an edge

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