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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to click
  5. capital — money
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — to crush
  8. present — there
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. suit — clothes

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