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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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 — of the year
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — a line
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. firm — decided
  16. row — to paddle
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bank — of a river
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. season — in sport

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