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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — in sport
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — of the year
  9. bass — low music
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — a gift
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a music group
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a ring
  22. present — the time now
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. staff — employees

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