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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cue — a hint
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. staff — employees
  24. hand — help

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