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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. last — finally
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. net — in sport
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — final
  16. net — for catching
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — rain
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pound — a weight
  24. last — to go on

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