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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · mine · mark · straw · swing · mate · dip · clip

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mate — a partner
  4. swing — in golf
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. swing — to play on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mark — a grade
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mine — for digging
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. swing — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — an explosive

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