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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — the season
  11. cell — in biology
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — magic
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spell — letters
  17. cell — a phone
  18. can — a tin
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. can — to be able to
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. game — wild animals

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