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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — in football
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pop — music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fork — in a road
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kick — with a leg

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