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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. hand — help
  6. spring — the season
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. root — the cause
  12. club — for golf
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. foot — a measure
  15. snap — to click
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. root — of a word
  18. club — a group
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. spring — of water
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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