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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. track — a song
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — music
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ground — crushed
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cue — for pool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — the earth

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