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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a match
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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