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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hand — in cards
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. scale — size or range
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a document
  23. hand — help
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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