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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a ring
  24. fine — a penalty

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