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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. firm — decided
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. firm — steady
  5. cell — a phone
  6. firm — a company
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rush — hurry
  11. charge — a price
  12. track — to keep track
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a path
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. charge — in control

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