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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — the amount
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. band — a ring
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a music group
  12. charge — a price
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — in control
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cue — a signal
  19. charge — electricity
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — letters
  24. cue — for pool

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