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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hand — help
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. object — an aim
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — thin
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lean — to bend
  15. object — a thing
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ball — a dance
  18. object — to protest
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ball — a great time
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — dry grass

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