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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 120 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. net — after costs
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cell — in biology
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — for catching

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