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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wake — a trail
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rash — a series
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. press — to push
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — crushed
  24. press — a publisher

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