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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — a group
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. club — for golf
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bass — low music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — for dancing

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