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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. firm — decided
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. net — after costs
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — for catching
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. net — in sport
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. firm — steady
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a ring
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a committee
  24. kick — in football

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