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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — the time now
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rash — a series
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — a video
  14. rest — a break
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. season — of the year
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. clip — for paper
  22. present — there
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bulb — for light

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