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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — the month

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