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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — final
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — a leader
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. last — finally
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. last — to go on

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