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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bound — certain
  16. court — of law
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — to tease
  19. shower — rain
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — of a king
  24. rock — music

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