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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spell — a short time
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rest — what's left
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rest — a break
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. swing — in golf
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. spell — letters
  16. kick — in football
  17. rest — what's left
  18. swing — music
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. swing — to play on
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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