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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — in football
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a ring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — a contest
  23. wake — a trail
  24. straw — a straw man

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