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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — in football
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — thin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. toast — bread
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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