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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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. drill — a practice
  4. press — a publisher
  5. track — a song
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. track — a path
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — in cards
  13. track — to keep track
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. drill — army training
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. press — newspapers
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hand — help
  22. press — to push
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. saw — the tool

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