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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. tear — to rip
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — to recline
  12. track — a song
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fine — all right
  15. cell — a phone
  16. charge — a price
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. charge — in control
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a path
  24. fine — high quality

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