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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. band — a music group
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — ground
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. land — to come down
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chest — a box
  19. band — a ring
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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