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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. net — after costs
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bat — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — for catching
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chest — a box
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — in sport
  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