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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — a series
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — employees
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — help
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. staff — a stick

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