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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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. kid — child
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. club — for golf
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. club — a group
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. track — a path
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wake — a trail
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ruler — for measuring

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