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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — for sport
  5. land — a country
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. land — to come down
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mate — to breed
  14. field — a subject
  15. land — ground
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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