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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — in sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. charge — in control
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. key — the most important part
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ground — crushed
  18. charge — a price
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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