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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. spring — of water
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spring — a coil
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — a video
  18. bat — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — the season
  21. sharp — clever
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bowl — a dish

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