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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. scale — size or range
  8. deal — to handle
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. scale — in music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. band — a ring
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a music group
  23. bass — the fish
  24. toast — bread

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