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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 120 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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mug — a cup
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — an illness
  9. tear — to rip
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — not warm
  15. object — to protest
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. object — an aim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fall — the season
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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