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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a song
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rash — a series
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. track — a path
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — from crying

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