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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cap — of ice
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — for golf
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cap — a hat
  15. file — a tool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — a group
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bulb — for light
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. file — a document

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