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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a line
  6. net — after costs
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — a break
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. row — to paddle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — from crying
  20. craft — boats
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. craft — a skill
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. staff — a stick

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