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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. face — to confront
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. band — a ring
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. squash — to crush
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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