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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. tear — to rip
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — lets stay

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