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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — ground
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. roll — a cake
  16. land — to come down
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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