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

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — help
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ball — a great time
  6. swing — in golf
  7. land — ground
  8. suit — in cards
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. suit — to fit
  18. land — a country

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