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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — to breed
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mate — a friend

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