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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: bay · bat · club · mug · foot · rush · swing · straw

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. foot — a measure
  12. swing — to play on
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mug — a face
  22. club — for golf
  23. mug — a cup
  24. swing — music

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