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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. content — the amount
  6. clip — a video
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bore — to tire
  17. press — newspapers
  18. toast — bread
  19. content — happy
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — to cut
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. press — to push

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