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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — to rob
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. shower — rain
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hand — help

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