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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — a path
  7. rock — a stone
  8. swing — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. rock — music
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of a king
  20. swing — in golf
  21. dip — to sink
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mine — an explosive
  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