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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 124 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — a gift
  4. wound — an injury
  5. present — there
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. present — the time now
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cold — not warm
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rest — a break
  24. bear — to put up with

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