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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.

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: land · season · pit · rash · present · straw · rest · bass

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — of the year
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. present — a gift
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — ground
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — to come down
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. present — there
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rash — hasty
  22. land — a country
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — the time now

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