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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — the tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. game — a match
  22. ball — a great time
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. drill — a practice

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