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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. firm — decided
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rock — a stone
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the fish
  11. snap — to click
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. prune — to trim

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