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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. capital — money
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — a country
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. land — ground
  8. bank — for money
  9. mate — a friend
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bank — for money
  16. rule — government
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rule — a law
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. capital — a city
  21. mate — a partner
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — to come down

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