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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tube — the underground
  6. court — of law
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. court — of a king
  9. kick — in football
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to bend
  12. court — for sport
  13. tube — a container
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a face
  16. land — ground
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. lean — thin
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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