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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. squash — the sport
  13. club — a group
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. club — for dancing
  17. kid — child
  18. march — music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. straw — a straw man

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