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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a word
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — thin
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. root — the cause
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lean — to bend
  24. sharp — clever

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