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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wound — an injury
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — the month
  11. club — a group
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. fork — in a road
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — thin
  18. spell — magic
  19. march — music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fork — a garden tool

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