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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mark — a trace
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a line of people
  9. march — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — the month
  12. present — there
  13. drill — a practice
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mark — a grade
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. present — a gift
  24. mark — to pay attention

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