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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — for betting
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. degree — an amount
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — temperature
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — to come from
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — letters
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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