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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a document
  3. ball — a great time
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. file — a line of people
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a dance
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. chest — a box
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. straw — a straw man

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