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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rule — a law
  9. mug — a face
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mug — a cup
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mug — to rob
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rule — government
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wind — moving air

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