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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pop — soda
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pit — a hole
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — of water
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pop — to visit
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spring — the season
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitch — completely
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitch — a sports field

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