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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. present — the time now
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. present — a gift
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — a phone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bass — low music
  22. present — there
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — a jug

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