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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. track — a song
  10. snap — to click
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bowl — a football final

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