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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fall — to drop
  8. suit — to fit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. suit — in cards
  11. tear — from crying
  12. suit — clothes
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. band — a music group
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a ring
  24. scale — size or range

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