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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chest — a box
  3. wound — an injury
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. chest — of your body
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kid — to tease
  20. toast — bread
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

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