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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.

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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. band — a ring
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cap — a lid
  13. band — a music group
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fall — the season
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — to go away

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