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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. row — to paddle
  5. shower — rain
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. row — a line
  9. suit — clothes
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. suit — to fit
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. suit — in cards
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wake — a trail

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