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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pit — a hole
  5. band — a music group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — a box
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. press — a publisher
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. press — to push
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a ring
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. staff — employees
  24. cue — a hint

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