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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. object — a thing
  3. toast — bread
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. object — an aim
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. drill — the tool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kid — child
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — to tease
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. drill — army training
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — to protest
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. march — music
  24. prune — to trim

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