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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. land — a country
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — to come down
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — ground
  24. cold — not warm

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