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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. last — final
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. field — for sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — for catching
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kid — child
  11. last — to go on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. net — after costs
  14. pass — a permit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. field — farmland
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — a subject
  22. perch — the fish
  23. last — finally
  24. kid — to tease

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