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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.

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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: last · can · bear · straw · game · chest · land · bass

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. land — to come down
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — a match
  10. last — final
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — to go on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — ground
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — a country
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — finally
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. game — wild animals

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