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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — wild animals
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mate — a partner
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — for sport
  11. pit — a hole
  12. field — a subject
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. craft — boats
  15. snap — to click
  16. field — farmland
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. craft — a skill

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