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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. charge — in control
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. charge — a price
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bank — of a river
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. craft — boats
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. degree — temperature
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bank — for money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rest — what's left
  24. charge — electricity

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