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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — a tool
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. swing — music
  13. hand — help
  14. cell — a phone
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. swing — to play on
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. swing — in golf
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. bass — the fish
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. current — happening now
  24. plane — an aircraft

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