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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cell — a phone
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cell — in biology
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — the season
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — for sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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