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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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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ball — a great time
  5. track — a song
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chest — a box
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — all right
  15. band — a music group
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a ring
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. track — a path
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fine — high quality
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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