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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — the season
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — of water
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. file — a tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lie — to recline

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