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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. content — happy
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rule — government
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. prune — to trim
  16. content — the amount
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rule — a law
  23. prune — to trim
  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