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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mine — for digging
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pit — in a race
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rush — hurry

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