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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. drill — army training
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rock — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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