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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mug — a cup
  5. last — final
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. last — to go on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. foot — a measure
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fine — all right
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hand — in cards
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mug — a face
  21. hand — help
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. last — finally

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