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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. current — of water
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. mate — a friend
  15. current — electric
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — in a road
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. current — happening now

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