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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. present — a gift
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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