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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. drill — a practice
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rest — a break
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. charge — electricity
  8. spring — the season
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. charge — a price
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — the tool
  18. charge — in control
  19. drill — army training
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. degree — temperature
  24. arm — part of the body

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