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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — for catching
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bass — the fish
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. press — newspapers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — a publisher
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bass — low music
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bound — certain
  16. net — after costs
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — in sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. press — to push

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