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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. snap — to click
  8. object — a thing
  9. chair — a leader
  10. object — to protest
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — in sport
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. roll — a cake
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. date — the fruit
  23. object — an aim
  24. date — on the calendar

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