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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. capital — a city
  8. chip — for betting
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a leader
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — the fish
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — music
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. chip — to eat
  24. straw — a straw man

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