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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — clever
  4. club — a group
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mark — a trace
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. game — a match
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — for golf
  24. ball — a dance

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