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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — a break
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. file — a line of people
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a document
  21. rest — what's left
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a tool
  24. staff — employees

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