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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. last — final
  5. craft — boats
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — a series
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cap — of ice
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rule — a law
  19. pop — music
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — government
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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