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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. ball — a great time
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pop — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mine — for digging
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — soda
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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