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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — to visit
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pop — soda
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — in football
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — music
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a music group
  19. wind — moving air
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitcher — a jug

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