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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spell — letters
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lean — to bend
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spell — magic
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — in music
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bowl — a dish

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