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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — to come down
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — certain
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. field — a subject
  14. land — a country
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — tied together
  22. land — ground
  23. field — farmland
  24. kid — to tease

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