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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — a country
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chest — a box
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chest — of your 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