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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — a lid
  3. dip — to sink
  4. band — a music group
  5. court — of law
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ball — a great time
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rock — music
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cap — a hat
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cap — of ice
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. court — of a king
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rock — a stone
  24. court — for sport

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