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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bass — the fish
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bound — certain
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bass — low music
  19. bound — tied together
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bass — the instrument

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