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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 124 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. bass — low music
  3. track — a song
  4. land — a country
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ball — a dance
  8. track — a path
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a great time
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. track — to keep track
  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