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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — a break
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — a city
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — money
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — a stone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. rock — music
  23. pop — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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