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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fall — the season
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — magic
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a music group
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spell — letters
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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