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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. cap — of ice
  3. object — to protest
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitch — completely
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. row — a line
  10. kick — in football
  11. rash — hasty
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. object — an aim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. object — a thing
  23. cap — a hat
  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