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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. track — a song
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. charge — a price
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cue — a signal
  19. track — a path
  20. fall — the season
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — to drop

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