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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tube — the underground
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — to get on
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rush — a thrill

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