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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. board — a committee
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to bend
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — to get on
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lean — thin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a line
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. season — of the year

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