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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ball — a great time
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. staff — employees
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. can — to be able to
  11. club — for golf
  12. charge — electricity
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — in control
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. rash — hasty

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