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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fine — high quality
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fine — all right
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — in music
  15. rock — music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. swing — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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