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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. swing — to play on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. track — a song
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rock — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — a grade
  14. drill — army training
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. swing — music
  24. mark — a trace

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