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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. squash — to crush
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — to recline
  13. present — there
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — thin
  17. present — the time now
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kick — with a leg

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