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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fine — all right
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spring — the season
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — of water
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bass — low music
  24. swing — to play on

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