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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bass — low music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lean — thin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lean — to bend
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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