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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. can — a tin
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. scale — size or range
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rest — a break
  13. fine — all right
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fine — high quality
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. capital — money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. can — a tin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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