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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lean — thin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fine — all right
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pit — a hole
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — child
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — happening now
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. current — electric
  19. fine — high quality
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kid — to tease
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — in a race

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