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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — in cards
  6. shower — rain
  7. hand — help
  8. present — a gift
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. present — the time now
  13. spell — a short time
  14. present — there
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. shower — to wash
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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