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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. file — a line of people
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a document
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. craft — a skill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a line
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. file — a 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