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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. clip — a video
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. press — to push
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ruler — a monarch

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