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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. shower — rain
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. shower — to wash
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rock — music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chest — a box
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — a stone
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. club — for golf
  21. spell — a short time
  22. band — a ring
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chest — of your body

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