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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mug — a face
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — to rob
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — rain
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. scale — in music
  24. mug — a cup

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