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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rush — hurry
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. toast — bread
  9. mug — a face
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mug — a cup
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. clip — a video
  20. bass — the fish
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mug — to rob
  23. clip — to cut
  24. craft — a handicraft

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