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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rash — a series
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — hasty
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. staff — employees

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