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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — final
  4. pit — in a race
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — to go on
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. last — finally
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pit — a hole
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rock — a stone

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