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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. swing — in golf
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — for weighing

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