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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. band — a ring
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — in football
  7. can — a tin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. band — a music group
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mouse — the animal

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