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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mug — a face
  3. shower — to wash
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — a law
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — letters
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rule — government
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. shower — rain
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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