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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · game · bat · bass · foot · bark · jam · straw

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — wild animals
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bass — low music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bass — the fish
  24. jam — in traffic

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