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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pop — soda
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pop — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pop — to visit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. charge — in control

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