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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. root — of a word
  7. hand — help
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. root — the cause
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — in a race
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — a box
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bound — certain
  24. chest — of your body

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