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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — low music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fall — the season
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. swing — to play on
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lie — to recline
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. swing — in golf
  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