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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. hand — in cards
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hand — help
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — in music

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