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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. sharp — clever
  4. track — a song
  5. clip — to cut
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. clip — for paper
  8. track — a path
  9. chip — to eat
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — a cup
  12. band — a ring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mug — to rob
  21. track — to keep track
  22. clip — a video
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — a face

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