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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rock — a stone
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spell — a short time
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rock — music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to click
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. sharp — clever
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — low music
  17. mark — a trace
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — letters
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spell — magic

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