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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — for catching
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. swing — music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. swing — in golf

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