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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spring — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. spring — of water
  9. craft — a skill
  10. face — part of the head
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. net — after costs
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. face — to confront
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — for catching
  23. craft — boats
  24. net — 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