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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — a match
  3. pop — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. swing — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — in golf
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. content — the amount
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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