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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — not warm
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cold — an illness
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. current — electric
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to click
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bound — certain
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — low music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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