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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — to be able to
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. can — a tin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — a leader
  15. key — in music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. band — a ring
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. key — for a lock
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fork — in a road

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