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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — to play on
  3. roll — a list
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. swing — music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. roll — a cake
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. swing — in golf
  24. deal — an agreement

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