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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for dancing
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. march — music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. net — for catching
  14. club — a group
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — the month
  18. net — after costs
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for golf
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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