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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — a signal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. snap — to click
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rash — hasty

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