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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — of water
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. squash — the sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — certain
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — to crush
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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