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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 120 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. lean — thin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lie — to recline
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — to bend
  11. row — a line
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. kid — child
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — to paddle
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. straw — a straw man

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