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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: mug · stick · object · hide · stand · straw · swing · club

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mug — a cup
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. object — to protest
  5. club — a group
  6. mug — a face
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — to bear
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — a thing
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — music
  24. object — an aim

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