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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: swing · straw · chair · fork · present · ball · can · lie

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ball — a dance
  6. can — to be able to
  7. present — a gift
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. present — there
  13. fork — in a road
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. can — a tin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. present — the time now
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ball — a round shape

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