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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. dip — to sink
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — a sauce

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