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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mug — a face
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. row — a line
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. club — for dancing
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rush — hurry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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