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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — of a king
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. court — of law
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chest — a box
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bank — of a river
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bank — for money

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