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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mug — a cup
  4. firm — a company
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lie — to recline
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. firm — steady
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. mug — a face
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cold — an illness
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. firm — decided

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