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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fine — all right
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ground — the earth
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. present — a gift
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. present — the time now
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. present — there
  13. shower — rain
  14. can — a tin
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — to wash
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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