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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. net — in sport
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — a hole
  10. net — for catching
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — to wash
  13. field — a subject
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. craft — boats
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. craft — a skill
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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