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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — humankind
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rest — a break
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — the arms race
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rock — a stone
  15. firm — steady
  16. race — a contest
  17. firm — decided
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. firm — a company
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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