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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — a city
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cold — an illness
  24. straw — a straw man

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