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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hand — in cards
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — a container
  13. spell — magic
  14. tube — the underground
  15. club — a group
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. club — for golf
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. club — for dancing

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