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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. key — in music
  24. row — a line

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