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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. club — a group
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. scale — size or range
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — for dancing
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — in music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. club — for golf
  24. fan — a supporter

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