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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. club — a group
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spell — letters
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — for golf
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — magic
  20. fine — all right
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spell — a short time
  24. straw — dry grass

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