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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. land — a country
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — low music
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. land — ground
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — soda
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. ball — a great time

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