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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rock — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. rock — a stone
  12. track — a song
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitch — completely
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. court — of a king
  23. track — to keep track
  24. branch — a division

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