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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: swing · lean · ground · straw · sharp · game · object · bass

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. object — a thing
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. object — to protest
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ground — a position
  13. object — an aim
  14. lean — to bend
  15. swing — music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. sharp — exactly

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