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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. track — a path
  10. ball — a dance
  11. toast — bread
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. swing — music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fork — in a road
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ball — a great time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. track — a song

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