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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — in biology
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — a phone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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