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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · wound · wake · mark · arm · ground · straw · pitcher

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ground — a position
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pit — in a race
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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