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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — magic
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — music
  11. mug — a face
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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