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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — the earth
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ground — a position
  9. rest — a break
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. track — a path
  14. ground — crushed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — a song
  17. press — newspapers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — a publisher

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