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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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. stand — for spectators
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spell — letters
  6. content — the amount
  7. spell — magic
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rash — a series
  11. board — to get on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. content — happy
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chest — of your body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spell — a short time
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. board — a committee

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