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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — to recline
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — goods
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stock — shares
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — a supporter

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