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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · roll · firm · straw · kick · cold · toast · mug

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. firm — steady
  4. mug — to rob
  5. roll — a list
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. firm — decided
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kick — in football
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. firm — a company
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. saw — the tool
  24. toast — bread

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