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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · chair · ball · mate · straw · pop · lash · key

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — music
  13. key — in music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ball — a dance
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bass — low music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — soda

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