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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rush — hurry
  9. staff — employees
  10. kick — in football
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. hand — in cards
  21. swing — to play on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. hand — help
  24. coach — a trainer

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