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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — completely
  6. current — of water
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mine — for digging
  9. press — to push
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — the amount
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — a break
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — happy
  20. current — happening now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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