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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a tool
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — happening now
  10. land — a country
  11. current — of water
  12. land — ground
  13. stand — to bear
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a line of people
  20. land — to come down
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — electric
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — letters

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