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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. present — a gift
  6. squash — the sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — obliged
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bound — certain
  12. face — part of the head
  13. present — the time now
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. face — to confront
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — in football
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spring — the season
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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