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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. ground — a position
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. race — the arms race
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. dip — to sink
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pound — a weight
  20. race — a contest
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. race — humankind
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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