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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — a position
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rock — a stone
  8. row — to paddle
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. season — in sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. straw — dry grass

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