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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. content — the amount
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. swing — music
  18. pop — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lash — an eyelash

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