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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. present — a gift
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. present — there
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. date — the fruit
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. present — the time now
  12. lean — to bend
  13. craft — a skill
  14. court — for sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. craft — boats
  17. court — of a king
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. court — of law
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. plane — a tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. plane — an aircraft

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