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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. band — a music group
  5. tube — a container
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tube — the underground
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. club — for dancing
  13. race — a contest
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. board — a committee
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. suit — clothes
  18. club — a group
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. board — to get on

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