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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mug — a cup
  7. craft — boats
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mug — to rob
  14. field — farmland
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mate — to breed
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — a subject
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mug — a face

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