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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bass — the fish
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — in music
  6. net — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. net — after costs
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — of your body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. lean — to bend
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lean — thin
  20. net — for catching
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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