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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. track — a path
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — in golf
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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