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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — after costs
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. net — for catching
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — a gift
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — in sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rush — to hurry

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