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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bass — low music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — in a prison

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