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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 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — for a lock
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bat — in an idiom

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