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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. object — an aim
  10. key — in music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. roll — a cake
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. roll — a list
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. date — the fruit
  17. key — for a lock
  18. object — to protest
  19. stand — to bear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. object — a thing
  23. lean — thin
  24. key — the most important part

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