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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. last — final
  3. bass — the fish
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — to go on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. kid — child
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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