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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. tube — a container
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — rain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. drill — army training
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. drill — the tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — the underground
  21. shower — to wash
  22. suit — clothes
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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