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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitch — completely
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. band — a music group
  8. march — music
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mug — a face
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. march — the month

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