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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 drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — the amount
  11. bat — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — a company
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. firm — steady
  18. plane — a tool
  19. content — happy
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chest — a box
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. firm — decided
  24. chest — of your body

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