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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed 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. file — a tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. file — a document
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — a friend
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. straw — dry grass

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