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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — in cards
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spell — letters
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spell — magic
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hand — help
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — to play on
  15. scale — in music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cap — a hat
  19. swing — music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. foot — a measure

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