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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — employees
  7. present — there
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. root — the cause
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitch — completely
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mine — for digging
  16. staff — a stick
  17. root — of a word
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. root — of a plant
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. sharp — clever

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