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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stock — goods
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stock — shares
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. pit — in a race
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pop — music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — to visit
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hand — help
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stock — a soup base

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