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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — to sink
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pitch — completely
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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