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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. suit — clothes
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. suit — in cards
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitch — completely
  24. saw — the tool

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