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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fork — in a road
  15. can — a tin
  16. fall — the season
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — certain
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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