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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. present — the time now
  5. pass — a permit
  6. present — there
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. craft — boats
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. toast — bread
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. present — a gift
  21. bass — low music
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pass — to spend 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