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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bass — the fish

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