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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. net — in sport
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — for catching
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bass — the fish
  18. key — for a lock
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. net — after costs
  24. key — the most important part

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