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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spell — a short time
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — a container
  7. pop — music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pop — to visit
  10. object — an aim
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — letters
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. snap — to click
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pop — soda
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — the underground
  23. object — to protest
  24. tube — in a tire

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