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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a grade
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. field — for sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. charge — in control
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. charge — electricity
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — a division
  23. tear — from crying
  24. suit — in cards

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