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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — a tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. track — to keep track
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hand — help
  11. shower — rain
  12. track — a song
  13. stock — shares
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — goods
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. swing — to play on

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