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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bound — certain
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. present — there
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — magic
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. present — the time now
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — a gift
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spell — letters
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bound — tied together

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