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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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 — a straw man
  3. spring — a coil
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. current — of water
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — electric
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. hand — help
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. hand — in cards
  17. drill — army training
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — a practice
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. current — happening now
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. arm — part of the 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