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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: straw · ball · arm · wind · bay · swing · mine · drill

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a great time
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. arm — part of the body

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