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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. board — to get on
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — the tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fork — in a road
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — a committee
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. arm — part of the body

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