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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. snap — to click
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fine — all right
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fine — high quality
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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