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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chair — a leader

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