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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. prune — to trim
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. ground — a position
  15. squash — the sport
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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