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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. club — for golf
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. shower — to wash
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — a subject
  11. cue — for pool
  12. field — for sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. present — there
  15. field — farmland
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. march — the month
  18. present — a gift
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — the time now
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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