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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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. game — wild animals
  4. spell — magic
  5. present — a gift
  6. rash — a series
  7. present — the time now
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — the season
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pound — a weight
  13. present — there
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — a hint
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rash — hasty

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