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

Word bank: squash · straw · mark · ruler · bat · stand · root · lie

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stand — to bear
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mark — a trace
  11. squash — to crush
  12. root — the cause
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. root — of a word
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stand — on your feet

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