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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. clip — a video
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — hurry
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — to be able to
  16. court — of a king
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — for sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. court — of law
  24. can — a tin

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