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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. root — of a word
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. land — a country
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kid — child
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. foot — a measure
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pass — a permit
  18. season — in sport
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. season — of the year
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kid — to tease

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