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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. dip — to sink
  3. object — a thing
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a music group
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. band — a ring
  18. chair — a leader
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. object — to protest
  22. tube — the underground
  23. object — an aim
  24. scale — in music

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