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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — low music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chip — for betting
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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