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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — to confront
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a tool
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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