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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. snap — to click
  3. firm — steady
  4. court — of a king
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bound — tied together
  8. firm — decided
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. court — of law
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. firm — a company
  15. court — for sport
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bass — the fish
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bound — certain

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