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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. board — a committee
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. dip — to sink
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pit — a hole
  10. file — a document
  11. board — to get on
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. band — a music group
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pit — in a race
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a tool

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