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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rule — a law
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — a path
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. club — a group
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chest — of your body
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. track — a song
  13. rule — government
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. roll — a list
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chest — a box
  18. roll — a cake
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. club — for golf
  24. straw — a straw man

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