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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hand — help
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stand — to bear
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — a city
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. hand — in cards

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