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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. club — for dancing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — for golf
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. perch — the fish
  12. club — a group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — a box
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — low music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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