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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — a division
  10. current — happening now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. club — for dancing
  19. current — electric
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. current — of water
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. club — a group
  24. press — newspapers

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