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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  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. cue — a hint
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rush — hurry
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitch — completely
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — a tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chip — for betting
  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