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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. firm — decided
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — the tool
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bass — low music
  15. chest — a box
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bass — the fish
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. firm — a company
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chest — of your body
  24. saw — the tool

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