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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. hand — help
  3. deal — to handle
  4. club — for dancing
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — in cards
  7. club — a group
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. swing — in golf
  12. suit — in cards
  13. club — for golf
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. sharp — clever

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