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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a dance
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. club — a group
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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