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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rule — government
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — boats
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rule — a law
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tear — from crying

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