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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — rain
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bark — to shout

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