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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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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: firm · bat · mate · swing · race · mug · straw · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — a cup
  3. race — a contest
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. race — humankind
  8. firm — steady
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — to play on
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. firm — a company
  24. court — of law

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