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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pop — soda
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a lid
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pop — to visit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. band — a ring
  16. ground — a position
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chip — for betting
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ground — the earth

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