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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — the time now
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. present — there
  13. current — happening now
  14. pop — music
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — soda
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. current — of water
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — of the year
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — a straw man

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