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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. file — a tool
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — a division
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bore — to tire
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. file — a document
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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