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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. dip — to sink
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — after costs
  5. court — of law
  6. net — for catching
  7. court — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. toast — bread
  14. net — in sport
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — a publisher
  19. content — the amount
  20. press — newspapers
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. content — happy
  23. can — to be able to
  24. press — to push

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