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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mark — a grade
  4. shower — to wash
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — rain
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — for paper
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — a stick
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — a video
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bulb — for light

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