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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. scale — in music
  3. game — a match
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. face — to point toward
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. scale — size or range
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hand — in cards
  23. degree — temperature
  24. scale — for weighing

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