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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. firm — a company
  13. track — a path
  14. march — music
  15. rule — a law
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rule — government
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cap — a lid

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