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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. race — a contest
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — army training
  17. race — the arms race
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. race — humankind
  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