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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. drill — army training
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — in music
  12. kick — in football
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. present — there
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. drill — the tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mine — for digging

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