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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. land — a country
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a document
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. can — a tin
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. land — to come down
  16. present — a gift
  17. land — ground
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a line of people
  20. can — to be able to
  21. present — there
  22. season — in sport
  23. present — the time now
  24. file — a tool

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