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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. race — humankind
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. race — a contest
  8. bound — certain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bound — obliged
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — tied together
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bass — low music
  20. toast — bread
  21. club — for dancing
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. hide — animal skin

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