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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · deal · mate · arm · dip · club · cap · snap

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mate — a partner
  11. club — for golf
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — to handle
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — dry grass

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