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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. drill — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. drill — army training
  7. vault — a safe
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. drill — a practice
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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