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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pop — to visit
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pop — soda
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pop — music

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