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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. court — of law
  4. club — a group
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. swing — to play on
  13. row — a line
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — in golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. court — for sport
  24. club — for golf

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