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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. row — a line
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kick — in football
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. press — a publisher
  24. plane — a tool

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