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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitch — completely
  5. clip — to cut
  6. last — finally
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — low music
  9. clip — a video
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — for paper
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — final
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — to go on
  24. bass — the fish

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