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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hand — help
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hand — in cards
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fine — all right
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. temple — side of the head

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