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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chip — to eat
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chip — for betting
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wake — a trail
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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