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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bat — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bass — low music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — the animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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