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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spring — of water
  5. lean — thin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — in football
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lean — to bend
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. scale — in music

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