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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — in music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — size or range
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mug — a face
  15. saw — the tool
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — to confront
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. mug — a cup
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. march — the month

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