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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — for sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a friend
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. field — a subject
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. arm — part of the body

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