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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. press — a publisher
  6. swing — music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — in golf
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. press — newspapers
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tear — from crying
  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