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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ground — a position
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — the cause
  13. hand — in cards
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — the earth
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ground — crushed
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cell — a phone

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