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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — a company
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. firm — steady
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. firm — decided
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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