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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. craft — boats
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. craft — a skill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. club — a group
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. club — for dancing

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