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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 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lean — thin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — the time now
  5. perch — the fish
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lean — to bend
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. present — there
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. present — a gift
  24. date — on the calendar

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