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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. land — a country
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. land — to come down
  13. rock — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. foot — a measure
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bat — the animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rock — a stone
  22. march — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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