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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — a group
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — in sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. net — after costs
  18. club — for golf
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — in cards
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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