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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rest — a break
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — obliged
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rest — what's left

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