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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bass — the fish
  7. march — music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bass — low music
  10. march — the month
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — ministers

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