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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. land — a country
  5. foot — a measure
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — ground
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. land — to come down
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — to go on
  24. game — a match

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