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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ground — a position
  7. race — humankind
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rash — a series
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — letters
  14. present — a gift
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. present — there
  17. race — a contest
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spell — a short time
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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