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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wake — a trail
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — final
  6. swing — music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — finally
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — to shout
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rash — a series
  24. last — to go 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