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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chest — a box
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spring — of water
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spring — the season
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cue — a signal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mate — a friend
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. board — a committee
  24. chest — of your body

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