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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. row — a line
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pass — a permit
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a great time
  18. march — the month
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. march — the month
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pass — to spend time

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