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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of a king
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. court — of law
  6. mug — a face
  7. lean — thin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — to go on
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. last — finally
  19. mug — a cup
  20. court — for sport
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to rest against

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