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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — wild animals
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. root — of a plant
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — a group
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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