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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — a lid
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bass — low music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. press — to push
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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