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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rush — hurry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of a king
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — of law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pit — a hole
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pit — in a race
  24. dip — to dunk

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