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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 116 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: straw · rest · wave · mate · racket · fall · swing · scale

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mate — to breed
  7. swing — to play on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — the season
  11. scale — size or range
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. scale — in music
  24. fall — to drop

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