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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. club — for golf
  6. object — an aim
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mate — a friend
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. club — a group
  20. object — to protest
  21. scale — in music
  22. object — a thing
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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