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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. band — a music group
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. staff — employees
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mine — for digging
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. can — a tin

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