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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 120 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ground — the earth
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ground — a position
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — a country
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. land — ground
  22. rash — a series
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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