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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — humankind
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rock — a stone
  9. band — a ring
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — a contest
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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