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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cue — for pool
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. fine — high quality
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — all right
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bass — the fish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — farmland
  22. cue — a signal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bass — the instrument

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