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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stock — shares
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mug — to rob
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — the season
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — of water
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stock — goods
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitcher — a jug

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