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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. snap — to click
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitch — completely
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. toast — bread
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — hurry
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. date — the fruit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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