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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bore — to drill
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bore — to tire
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — to get on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pound — a weight
  21. clip — a video
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pound — to hit hard

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