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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a document
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. file — a line of people
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — magic
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — letters
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — in football
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — money
  24. straw — a straw man

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