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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. key — for a lock
  13. march — the month
  14. press — a publisher
  15. capital — money
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ball — a great time
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. press — to push
  24. key — the most important part

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