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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fall — the season
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. date — the fruit
  22. net — for catching
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — in sport

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