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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — music
  5. fine — all right
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — to wash
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — low music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — magic
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rock — a stone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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