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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bank — for money
  7. rule — government
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — a law
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. band — a music group
  14. bank — of a river
  15. band — a ring
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — a break
  24. bank — for money

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