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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chair — a leader
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — music
  16. suit — to fit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — to play on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. roll — a cake
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — for digging

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