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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. swing — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. swing — to play on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mark — a trace
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. trunk — of a car

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