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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · swing · ball · club · straw · lie · pitcher · dip

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — to recline
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. swing — music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — a group
  23. ball — a dance
  24. swing — in 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