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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pop — soda
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. band — a ring
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — magic
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — letters
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pop — music

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