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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — hasty

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