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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — in cards
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hand — help
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. snap — to click
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rush — to hurry

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