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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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. fork — in a road
  4. ball — a dance
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. last — finally
  8. clip — to cut
  9. last — to go on
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. last — final
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. toast — bread
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. clip — a video
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. face — to confront
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — to point toward
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chair — a leader

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