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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. swing — music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pit — in a race
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a song
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. swing — to play on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. swing — in golf
  23. track — a path
  24. straw — dry grass

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