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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chip — for betting
  10. branch — a division
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — for catching
  17. sharp — clever
  18. net — in sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fall — the season

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