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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chest — of your body
  7. land — to come down
  8. rule — government
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — a country
  11. chest — a box
  12. lean — thin
  13. rule — a law
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — ground
  17. lean — to bend
  18. charge — electricity
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. season — in sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — a price

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