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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mug — a face
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rock — music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — low music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cell — in biology

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