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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. present — there
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. swing — in golf
  6. game — a match
  7. root — the cause
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — a stick
  12. root — of a word
  13. swing — to play on
  14. root — of a plant
  15. present — a gift
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. prune — to trim
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — size or range
  24. present — the time now

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