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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stand — to bear
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. hand — part of the body

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