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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a document
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lie — to recline
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chest — a box
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — hurry
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mouse — the animal

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