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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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 — a tin
  3. bore — to tire
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — help
  6. face — to point toward
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. face — part of the head
  13. can — a tin
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cap — a lid
  20. press — to push
  21. bore — to drill
  22. face — to confront
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cap — of ice

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