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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. field — farmland
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. charge — in control
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — a grade
  9. last — finally
  10. track — a song
  11. field — for sport
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. last — final
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — electricity
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. charge — a price
  19. mark — a trace
  20. track — a path
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — to go on
  24. field — a subject

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