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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ball — a great time
  5. file — a document
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. file — a tool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pop — music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pop — soda
  23. ball — a dance
  24. file — a line of people

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