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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. row — to paddle
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a line
  7. swing — in golf
  8. suit — in cards
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. suit — clothes
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bass — low music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. suit — to fit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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