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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · club · dip · board · mug · foot · fall · straw

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fall — to drop
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — a trace
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mark — a grade
  10. foot — a measure
  11. club — for dancing
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mug — a face
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fall — the season
  16. club — for golf
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. dip — to sink
  20. board — a committee
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. board — to get on
  24. club — a group

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