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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. track — to keep track
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. track — a song
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — a cup
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mug — a face
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mug — to rob

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