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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. chair — a leader
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. sharp — clever
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spring — the season
  15. spell — magic
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. spell — letters
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fine — high quality
  24. spring — a coil

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