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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. track — a path
  4. drill — the tool
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a ring
  9. drill — a practice
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. net — in sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. net — after costs
  19. spell — a short time
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. drill — army training

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