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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a song
  12. scale — in music
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. ball — a dance
  17. track — to keep track
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — a path
  21. ball — a great time
  22. scale — size or range
  23. current — electric
  24. rest — a break

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