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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. 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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mate — a partner
  3. staff — a stick
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. land — ground
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. land — a country
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — to breed
  18. 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