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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — of ice
  3. firm — steady
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. squash — to crush
  11. firm — decided
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cap — a hat
  16. squash — the sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — a series
  20. firm — a company
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. roll — a list
  23. chair — a leader
  24. roll — a cake

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