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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. club — a group
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bore — to drill
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — of law
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bore — to tire
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. club — for dancing
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. trunk — of a tree

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