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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. toast — bread
  9. spring — the season
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. dip — to sink
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mark — a trace
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spring — of water
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. rash — a series
  24. spring — a coil

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