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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — to eat
  9. track — a path
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. row — a line
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wax — to grow
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pass — a permit
  24. track — a song

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