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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pop — soda
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. club — a group
  8. swing — in golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. swing — to play on
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. row — to paddle
  23. club — for golf
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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