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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. club — a group
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — a law
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. hand — help
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — for golf
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rest — a break
  24. club — for dancing

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