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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pop — soda
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tube — a container
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — the amount
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. season — of the year
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. sharp — clever

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