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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: game · pound · stick · bass · lie · straw · fall · sharp

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pound — a weight
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — clever
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lie — to recline
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — low music

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