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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. object — to protest
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. snap — to click
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. object — a thing
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. content — happy
  22. bore — to tire
  23. content — the amount
  24. object — an aim

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