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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 124 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rule — a law
  4. spell — letters
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lean — to bend
  9. capital — money
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. capital — a city
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rule — government
  23. key — in music
  24. lean — thin

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