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

Word bank: pass · trunk · bat · object · court · wind · straw · stand

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. object — a thing
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. court — for sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — an aim
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. object — to protest
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. trunk — of a tree

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