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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — for dancing
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spring — the season
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — of water
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — a group
  11. rush — hurry
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. club — for golf
  15. spring — a coil
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — a cup
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mug — a face
  20. deal — to handle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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