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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. shower — rain
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. shower — to wash

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