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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — a position
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fine — all right
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. root — the cause
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. root — of a plant

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