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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. roll — a list
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. key — in music
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bore — to tire
  19. roll — a cake
  20. toast — bread
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. toast — the most admired

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