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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. club — a group
  3. clip — a video
  4. charge — in control
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cell — a phone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — for paper
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — in biology
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. current — of water
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — happening now

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