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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — a path
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — for sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. court — of law
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — to keep track
  17. court — of a king
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. patient — a sick person

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