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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. swing — to play on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — in sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — after costs
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. capital — money
  14. deal — to handle
  15. swing — in golf
  16. capital — a city
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. swing — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ball — a dance

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