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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed 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. spring — of water
  3. last — finally
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — final
  17. spring — a coil
  18. current — electric
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — a gift
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — happening now
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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