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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — in sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — a hint
  10. season — of the year
  11. track — a song
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bark — to shout
  15. track — to keep track
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cue — a signal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cue — for pool
  21. track — a path
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bass — low music

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