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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: straw · fine · cap · wake · lash · game · bass · stock

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stock — shares
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stock — goods
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. game — a kind of play
  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