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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. club — for dancing
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. club — for golf
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — a group

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