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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. swing — music
  3. court — of law
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — to bear
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lean — thin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to click
  18. rest — a break
  19. court — of a king
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. court — for sport

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