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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.

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: bound · sharp · racket · spring · bay · club · file · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. club — a group
  6. sharp — clever
  7. club — for golf
  8. spring — of water
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bound — certain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bound — obliged
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. file — a document

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