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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — tied together
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tube — a container
  8. charge — in control
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. charge — a price
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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