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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a ring
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — a match
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — to be able to
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. game — a kind of play

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