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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. craft — a skill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. craft — boats
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bass — the fish
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bass — low music
  21. last — to go on
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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