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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. swing — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. firm — steady
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bass — the fish
  14. swing — in golf
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — moving air
  17. swing — to play on
  18. firm — a company
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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