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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. net — in sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — in sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fall — the season
  16. game — wild animals
  17. row — a line
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — a match
  23. net — for catching
  24. hide — to keep secret

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