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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pass — a permit
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cap — of ice
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. squash — to crush
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — a hat

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