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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — a stick
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ground — a position
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — dry grass

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