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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. current — happening now
  8. club — a group
  9. rule — a law
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rule — government
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mine — for digging
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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