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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chip — for betting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. track — a path
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chip — in a computer

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