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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — finally
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. squash — to crush
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. last — final
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — a tin
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fine — high quality
  23. last — to go on
  24. arm — a part of something

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