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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cold — an illness
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bear — to put up with

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