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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — a hole
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. club — a group
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pit — in a race
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — for golf
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chest — a box
  20. rash — hasty
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rash — a series

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