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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 water is too ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bank — for money
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pass — a permit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bank — of a river
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pitcher — a jug

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