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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — a contest
  4. swing — to play on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chip — to eat
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chip — for betting
  16. land — ground
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. race — humankind
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in 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