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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. hand — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. craft — boats
  5. mug — to rob
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mug — a cup
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mug — a face
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. snap — to click
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — the fruit
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. date — on the calendar
  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