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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. swing — in golf
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. straw — dry grass

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