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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. march — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lean — thin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ball — a dance
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — the month
  24. content — happy

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