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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spring — of water
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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