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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spring — of water
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pop — music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bank — of a river
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bank — for money
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cap — of ice

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