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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hand — help
  9. chest — a box
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. can — a tin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitch — completely

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