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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. row — a line
  4. wax — to grow
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. club — for dancing
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. toast — bread
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wax — for sculpting

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