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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. club — for golf
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — in sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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