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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. swing — music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ball — a great time
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — to wash
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — to play 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