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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: straw · mark · dip · pop · face · track · swing · roll

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pop — soda
  3. track — a song
  4. pop — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. track — a path
  11. roll — a cake
  12. face — to confront
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. face — to point toward
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. track — to keep track
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mark — a grade
  22. roll — a list
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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