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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. land — to come down
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — completely

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