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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. staff — a stick
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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