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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lean — thin
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. track — a path
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. straw — a straw man

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