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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — a group
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. swing — music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — tied together
  17. swing — to play on
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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