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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — in biology
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. roll — a cake
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. suit — in cards
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. snap — to click
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. roll — a list
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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