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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cold — not warm
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. key — in music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. swing — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rock — a stone

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