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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — a group
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. track — a path
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ball — a great time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mine — for digging
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. club — for dancing
  18. track — a song
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rush — hurry
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a ring

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