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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ground — crushed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cue — a signal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. ground — a position
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spell — letters
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spell — magic

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