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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. mine — an explosive
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — a country
  6. mine — for digging
  7. key — in music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. key — for a lock
  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