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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pit — in a race
  3. firm — a company
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — in football
  7. spring — of water
  8. firm — steady
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. shower — rain
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — of the year
  18. firm — decided
  19. spring — the season
  20. pit — a hole
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — in sport
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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