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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bat — the animal
  14. board — a committee
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — to get on
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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