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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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 — a straw man
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — goods
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. file — a document
  12. chip — to eat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. file — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. file — a line of people
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — shares

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