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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — a contest
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. straw — a straw man

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