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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mark — a trace
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. roll — a cake
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. root — the cause
  12. field — for sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. roll — a list
  15. field — a subject
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. can — to be able to
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mark — a grade
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. band — a ring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — farmland

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