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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — the month
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. last — finally
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — for catching
  10. march — music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. content — the amount
  13. last — to go on
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lean — to bend
  19. last — final
  20. content — happy
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. march — the month

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