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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. swing — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a trace
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — after costs
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. net — for catching
  24. band — a ring

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