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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bat — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wake — a trail
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. swing — to play on

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