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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — for digging
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bore — to drill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kid — child
  11. bore — to tire
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fine — all right
  22. row — a line
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. straw — dry grass

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