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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kick — in football
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. scale — in music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bear — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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