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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chest — a box
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rock — music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. suit — clothes
  17. kick — in football
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spring — the season
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. swing — music
  23. suit — to fit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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