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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — a series
  24. ruler — for measuring

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