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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · club · rest · straw · last · bass · dip · pitcher

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. club — for dancing
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — finally
  10. rest — what's left
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bass — low music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. club — a group
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. hide — animal skin

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