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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spell — a short time
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — low music
  14. ground — a position
  15. charge — electricity
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — a price
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bear — the animal
  23. spell — magic
  24. bear — to put up with

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