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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bass — low music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kid — child
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bound — obliged
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — to tease
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — certain
  20. date — the fruit
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. date — on the calendar
  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