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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — a grade
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tube — a container
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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