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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. land — ground
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. season — of the year
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. kick — in football
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pass — a permit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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