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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. drill — army training
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. snap — to click
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — a straw man

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