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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bound — certain
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. sharp — clever
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — a position
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — the season
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fall — to drop

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