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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. swing — music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. field — a subject
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — in golf
  10. track — to keep track
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. field — farmland
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — a song
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. field — for sport
  22. firm — a company
  23. track — a path
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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