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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cue — a hint
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. club — for dancing
  8. land — to come down
  9. club — for golf
  10. ball — a dance
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — a signal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. club — a group
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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