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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — music
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — to wash
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kid — child
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kid — to tease
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fan — a supporter

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