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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. track — a path
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rest — a break
  8. spell — magic
  9. season — of the year
  10. pound — a weight
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — to keep track
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spell — letters
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. track — a song
  18. game — a match
  19. season — in sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — to add flavour

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