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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. object — an aim
  3. kid — to tease
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — a measure
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. roll — a list
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. last — final
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — a lid

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