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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stand — to bear
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. club — for golf
  16. lie — to recline
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — army training
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. drill — the tool

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