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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — a line
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. band — a ring
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — of the year
  24. safe — a strongbox

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