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

Word bank: net · face · straw · wave · toast · fork · clip · pit

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. face — to confront
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — in sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — part of the head
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — for catching
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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