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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. object — an aim
  3. swing — to play on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. object — a thing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a match
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. swing — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. object — to protest
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — the animal

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