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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. present — the time now
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — there
  20. land — ground
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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