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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lean — thin
  3. last — finally
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. foot — a measure
  6. last — final
  7. bass — low music
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — the fish
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lean — to bend
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — dry grass

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