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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bound — tied together
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. file — a tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cap — of ice
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cap — a hat
  24. file — a document

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