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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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 — a straw man
  3. last — to go on
  4. rest — a break
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rest — what's left
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — final
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — the fish
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wound — an injury

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