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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spring — the season
  3. fall — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chip — in a computer

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