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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tube — a container
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chip — for betting
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chip — to eat
  14. tube — the underground
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. scale — in music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. shower — rain

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