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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ball — a dance
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — in sport
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pop — soda
  12. spell — letters
  13. pop — music
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mug — a cup
  17. spell — a short time
  18. net — for catching
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spell — magic
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mug — a face

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