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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mug — to rob
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — low music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. present — the time now
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mug — a face
  19. roll — a list
  20. race — humankind
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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