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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bass — low music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — a city
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — to confront
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — to point toward
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. swing — music
  23. capital — money
  24. swing — to play on

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