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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. march — the month
  3. suit — to fit
  4. club — for golf
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ground — a position
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stand — to bear
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hand — in cards
  14. club — a group
  15. suit — in cards
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. march — music
  24. hand — help

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