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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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 — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. present — a gift
  6. land — to come down
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. present — the time now
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. present — there
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — to be able 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