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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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 — dry grass
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fall — the season
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fall — to drop
  22. object — to protest
  23. fall — to drop
  24. staff — a stick

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