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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bank — for money
  6. rule — government
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — of water
  13. bank — of a river
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rule — a law
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. spring — the season

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