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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — a series
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rush — hurry
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. tear — to rip

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