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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pop — soda
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. band — a ring
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bound — certain
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. race — humankind
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bound — obliged
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — music

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