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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pop — to visit
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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