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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — a song
  4. spell — letters
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. staff — employees
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. plane — a tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. present — there
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. present — the time now
  14. spell — magic
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — a short time
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — a path

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