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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 120 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bass — low music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. drill — army training
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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