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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. press — to push
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. press — a publisher
  11. game — a match
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — goods
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — newspapers
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stock — shares

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