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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. present — there
  4. bass — the fish
  5. present — the time now
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. rock — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stock — shares
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — money
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — to sink
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stock — goods
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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