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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — to go on
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spell — magic
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fall — the season
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — final
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. last — finally
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — a series

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