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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fall — the season
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bass — low music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rock — music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. scale — in music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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