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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — high quality
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — in sport
  12. key — in music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. board — to get on
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. key — the most important part
  18. swing — music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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