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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mark — a grade
  4. squash — the sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. shower — to wash
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — the season
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mark — a trace
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cap — a hat
  18. face — to confront
  19. cap — a lid
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cap — of ice
  24. shower — rain

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