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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stand — to bear
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. field — farmland
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. sharp — exactly

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