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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — the instrument

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