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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. scale — in music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — animal skin

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