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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pop — music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pop — to visit
  6. staff — employees
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cold — an illness
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — a big deal

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