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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. sharp — clever
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. race — a contest
  8. track — a path
  9. band — a music group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a ring
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — a match
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — wild animals
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. track — to keep track

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