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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. march — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. swing — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. swing — in golf
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to click
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. swing — to play on
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. roll — a list
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bound — obliged

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