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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pop — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. swing — in golf
  9. dip — to sink
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. board — to get on
  17. pop — to visit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — music

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