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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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 hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — to cut
  6. face — to confront
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mug — to rob
  9. season — in sport
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mug — a cup
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — size or range
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. scale — in music

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