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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a line of people
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — to tire
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a document
  10. net — in sport
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. net — after costs
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. shower — to wash
  22. file — a tool
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. shower — rain

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