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

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lean — thin
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fine — all right
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. toast — bread
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bass — low music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — dry grass

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