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

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — the sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music

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