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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: straw · cap · march · lean · squash · snap · kid · bowl

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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 — dry grass
  3. lean — thin
  4. snap — to click
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — child
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — to bend
  13. march — music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. kid — to tease
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. straw — a straw man

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