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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. last — finally
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chip — for betting
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ball — a dance
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. file — a line of people
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — to go on
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ball — a great time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — final
  23. file — a document
  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