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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — help
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. band — a music group
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. object — an aim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. rash — on the skin
  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