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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — money
  3. court — of law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bass — low music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. court — for sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mug — a face
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — of a king
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — to rob

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