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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 116 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: straw · bass · suit · pitcher · cell · tear · kick · object

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. suit — in cards
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — an aim
  5. suit — to fit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cell — in biology
  8. object — a thing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. object — to protest
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — low music
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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