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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ground — crushed
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. roll — a list
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. march — music
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. march — the month

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