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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lie — to recline
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — to handle
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a music group
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — a stone

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