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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. content — happy
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. band — a ring
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. snap — to click
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a music group

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