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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — low music
  3. row — a line
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitch — completely
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. land — a country
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — a safe
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. row — to paddle
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bass — the instrument

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