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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bound — tied together
  3. club — a group
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — to rob
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. game — wild animals
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mug — a cup
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. swing — in golf
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mug — a face
  24. swing — music

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