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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ 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. season — to add flavour
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bark — to shout
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tube — a container
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mug — a cup
  16. net — in sport
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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