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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mug — to rob
  5. court — of a king
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fall — the season
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pit — in a race
  10. court — for sport
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pit — a hole
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mug — a face
  16. swing — music
  17. court — of law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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