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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. swing — to play on
  3. toast — bread
  4. field — for sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. band — a ring
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. roll — a list
  13. object — an aim
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. band — a music group
  18. field — a subject
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — farmland
  21. swing — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. object — a thing
  24. straw — a straw man

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