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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — happening now
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. race — the arms race
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. current — of water
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. current — electric
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chair — a leader
  22. can — a tin
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lash — an eyelash

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