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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. swing — music
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lie — to recline
  7. roll — a list
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. roll — a cake
  18. scale — in music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — magic
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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