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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a ring
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — a straw man

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