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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's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — for catching
  4. firm — steady
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — low music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bass — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. firm — a company
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. net — in sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. firm — decided
  21. charge — in control
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. march — music
  24. charge — a price

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