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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — to go on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pass — a permit
  6. last — final
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — in sport
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. net — for catching
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. net — after costs
  20. last — finally
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wake — a trail

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