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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — help
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spring — of water
  10. foot — a measure
  11. track — a song
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spring — the season
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spring — a coil
  20. clip — a video
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wind — moving air
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. track — a path

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