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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — a series
  8. craft — a skill
  9. march — music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — dry grass

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