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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. court — of law
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — for sport
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. club — for dancing
  19. court — of a king
  20. rest — a break
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bass — low music

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