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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — the season
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. spring — of water
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rest — a break
  23. squash — the sport
  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