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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bass — low music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — in football
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bass — the fish
  15. squash — to crush
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bat — the animal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cue — for pool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — help
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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