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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — a path
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — in music
  21. track — a song
  22. bass — the fish
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. scale — for weighing

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