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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's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — thin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — help
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. plane — a tool
  23. march — music
  24. bore — gave birth

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