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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mark — a trace
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — low music
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. club — a group
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — to tease
  22. game — a match
  23. club — for golf
  24. game — wild animals

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