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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fall — the season
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. roll — a list
  13. fall — to drop
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fall — to drop
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rock — music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rock — a stone
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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