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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ground — a position
  5. sharp — clever
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lean — to bend
  11. court — for sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. court — of law
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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