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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kid — child
  7. rock — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. charge — in control
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. swing — in golf
  12. charge — a price
  13. swing — music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rock — a stone
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — to tease
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rock — to move gently

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