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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. race — the arms race
  5. press — a publisher
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. perch — the fish
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. press — to push
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. press — newspapers
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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