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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. season — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. can — to be able to
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — of the year
  24. bound — certain

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