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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. file — a document
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. season — of the year
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — in football
  11. craft — boats
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. file — a tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. craft — a skill
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spring — of water
  22. cue — for pool
  23. spring — the season
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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