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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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 — a permit
  3. charge — in control
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rock — music
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. charge — a price
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cue — for pool
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cue — a signal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hide — animal skin

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