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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — music
  3. present — there
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. capital — money
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stand — to bear
  13. last — to go on
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — help
  18. present — the time now
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. present — a gift
  23. capital — a city
  24. last — finally

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