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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. present — there
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. roll — a list
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mark — a trace
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — the time now
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. present — a gift
  21. mark — a grade
  22. roll — a cake
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mine — an explosive

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