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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rash — hasty
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a ring
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rash — a series
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — of ice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cap — a hat

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