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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. field — farmland
  4. rash — a series
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. track — to keep track
  7. field — a subject
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. snap — to click
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. track — a song
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. track — a path

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