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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. staff — a stick
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. band — a music group
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitch — completely
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. land — ground
  24. staff — employees

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