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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. ball — a dance
  6. present — there
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — a break
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — the time now
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — in music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. present — a gift

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