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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kid — child
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — to tease
  7. race — a contest
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bank — for money
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. race — the arms race
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — humankind
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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