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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mug — a face
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stock — shares
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bass — the fish
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stock — goods
  24. rash — on the skin

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