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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. swing — in golf
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bank — for money
  6. mug — a cup
  7. swing — music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. net — for catching
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. court — for sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of law
  16. lie — to recline
  17. net — after costs
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a lid
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bank — of a river

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