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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. swing — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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