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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — in music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. band — a music group
  12. key — the most important part
  13. row — a line
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stock — goods
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cap — of ice
  19. row — to paddle
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cap — a lid
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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