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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — letters
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. last — finally
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. last — final
  18. spell — a short time
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spell — magic
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fine — high quality

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